20+ Upcoming RPGs Geeks Should Be Excited About!

In 1975 Don Daglow created the first role-playing video game, Dungeon. Today, RPGs are not only popular amongst gamers, they’re also big business. Some have even argued that RPGs are the 2nd best-selling and most popular genre of games. Even if that’s a stretch, there’s no denying that RPGs have found a surge of success in recent years. And, because of devoted fans, obsessed gamers and innovative developers, upcoming RPGs are not only getting getting better by the year, they’re also becoming increasingly anticipated by fans.

So, since we’re in a new year, let’s check out the top 25 upcoming RPGs geeks should be excited about.

23. Dead Island: Riptide

Despite the trailer for this direct continuation of 2011’s Dead Island not being all that impressive, it still looks like it could be a lot of fun. The addition of a new character, martial artist John Morgan, and added landmines with the already excessive amounts of gore-filled action, should have you circling April 23, 2013, April 26 in Europe, when the game arrives on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

22. Young Justice: Legacy

Young Justice: Legacy will serve as an interactive bridge between seasons 1 and 2 of the animated series. Besides assembling your team and beating up bad games, the game will also feature puzzle elements. Look for it on PS3, the Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii and PC in March.

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21. Fire Emblem: Awakening

This tactical RPG is an original game in the well-received Fire Emblem series. While the gameplay is similar to previous Fire Emblem games, there are some new features, such as a new option to perform a team-up attack with a supporting character and additional downloadable content. It’s scheduled for release in North America on February 4 and in April for Japan and Europe.

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20. Phantasy Star Online 2

The sequel to SEGA’s classic and iconic RPG will return to North America sometime in early 2013. Fans in Japan are already enjoying it.

19. Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan will have several improvements from the previous DS game, including polygonal enemies, new 3D special effects, upgradable players customizable skyships, analog camera control and a fully orchestrated musical score from Yuzo Koshiro. Look for it on February 26, 2013.

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18. Unchained Blades

While Unchained Blades has been out on the PSP since June of 2006, fans are hoping that it will finally arrive on the Nintendo 3DS on January 3, 2013. Once that happens, western audiences will get the sequel, Unchained Blades EXXIV.

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17. Nuclear Union

Hopefully this exclusive Microsoft Windows game will be released in 2013. We’re intrigued by the alternate universe that takes place after nuclear war caused by the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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16. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

There’s going to be a number of Final Fantasy games coming out, but we’re looking forward to A Realm Reborn the most. Final Fantasy XIV was a poor excuse of a game and this relaunch has made enough improvements to win Destructoid’s ‘Gamescom community choice award.’ Let’s see if the improvements will be worth it.

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15. Avadon 2: The Corruption

The last we heard about this sequel to Avadon: The Black Fortress, it was in development. The less information we have, the more we want it.

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14. The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki

Despite a teaser trailer, there’s no official date for this sequel. Falcom President Toshihiro Kondo recently gave an interview that discussed the game, which you can check out here, but it looks like the game will have a huge battle and is the largest story of the series.

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13. Dead State

Dead State isn’t just your typical zombie-survival RPG, it will also explore “how humans deal with a crisis beyond their control,” but unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until December 2013 to find out how accurate that statement is.

12. Shadowrun Returns

We love the fact that funding for Shadowrun Returns was received through a Kickstarter campaign. Let’s hope that whenever it’s released it will make us forget about 2007’s Shadowrun.

11. The Age of Decadence

The Age of Decadence is set in a low-magic, post-apocalyptic world inspired by the fall of the Roman Empire. That plot sounds interesting, but it’s really the game’s ambition to return to the ‘golden era’ of RPGs by emphasizing choices and consequences and providing a comprehensive skill set, multiple solutions to quests, and extensive dialogue trees that has us most excited. However, there’s no release date, but you can download a public beta version. When released, it will be available on Windows, Macintosh OS X, and Linux .

10. Eschalon Book 3

Not only is the conclusion of the trilogy, it will also contain fan-requested features and updates, new spells, hundreds of graphic updates, including re-rendered tiles and will be single player, just to name a few. The downside is that the game is still in alpha.

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9. South Park: The Stick of Truth

Yes. This is based on the animated series, and it looks awesome. The game seems to be based on the episode “The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers” and was written by the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It should hit shelves on March 5 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, and Windows operating system for PCs.

8. Mistborn: Birthright

This action RPG will be a prequel to the Mistborn trilogy and will hopefully be released in the fall of 2013 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X.

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7. Divinity: Original Sin

Divinity: Original Sin is expected sometime in mid-2013 for Microsoft Windows. Like Mistborn: Birthright, it will serve as a prequel. It’s expected to feature turn-based combat, cooperative multi-player, a highly interactive world and ships with a full-fledged modding tool.

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6. Tales of Xillia

The 13th title in the Tales series has been available in Japan since 2011, but it will finally arrive in North America sometime in 2013 for PlayStation 3. Remember, good things come to those who wait.

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5. The Elder Scrolls Online

This massive, and first open-ended multiplayer, RPG has been in development for over five years. While there’s still no official release date, it should be available on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X in early 2013.

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4. Sacred 3

Early reviews of Sacred 3 stated that not only were the graphics beautiful, the co-op dynamic was strong and that combat played more like an arcade game. The game is set for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC sometime in 2013.

3. Dragon Age III: Inquisition

BioWare has had the third installment of the Dragon Age franchise in development for a couple of years now. It’s said that customization will be expanded and that it will also fuse elements from the previous games for Dragon Age III: Inquisition. It looks promising, but there’s still some confusion on when it will actually arrive. Some say in the fall of 2013, while others are predicting a 2014 release.

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2. Dota 2

This multi-player online battle arena video game was announced all the way back in 2010 and is currently going through beta testing. While maybe not a typical RPG, controlling a singular character, the intricate leveling, as well as containing inventory systems, make the case that it can be a RPG. Regardless, Dota 2 looks like a game you should keep an eye whenever it sees the light of day.

1. Wasteland 2

It’s been a long time coming for this sequel to 1988’s Wasteland, but this post-apocalyptic RPG should be well worth the wait. Besides becoming a reality after a Kickstarter campaign, the game will be a turn-based and party-based role-playing game with tactical combat and an isometric view that takes place during an alternate timeline. And, it will also be bundled with the original Wasteland. Look for it in October of 2013, hopefully, on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.